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Asda
Asda sell their hosiery, along with the rest of their budget fashion offerings, under the George brand.
There are 5 styles in their range of everyday sheer hosiery:
- 10 Denier Ultimate Gloss Tights. £3 for two pairs, 89% Nylon, 11% Lycra. Sizes small, medium, large, x-large and xx-large. Sandal Toe, reinforced body. Lycra for improved fit and comfort.
- 10 Denier Ultimate Sheen Tights. £3 for two pairs, 88% Nylon, 12% Lycra. Sizes small, medium, large, x-large and xx-large. Sandal Toe, reinforced body, cotton gusset for added comfort. Lycra for improved fit and comfort.
- 7 Denier Oiled Look Tights. £3 for one pair, 90% Nylon, 10% Lycra. Sizes small, medium, large and x-large. Perfect for summer wear, silk touch. Cotton gusset, sandal toe.
- 7 Denier Tights. £3 for one pair, 88% Nylon, 12% Lycra. Sizes small, medium, large and x-large. Perfect for summer wear, a range of shades for a perfect match to all skin tones. Reinforced body, cotton gusset.
- 7 Denier Toeless Tights. £3 for one pair, 88% Nylon, 12% Lycra. Sizes small, medium, large and x-large. Perfect for summer wear, a range of shades for a perfect match to all skin tones. Reinforced body, cotton gusset.
Tesco
Tesco’s own brand hosiery is sold under a brand name of “F & F”.
There are 5 styles in their range of everyday sheer hosiery:
- 15 Denier Leg Looks Gloss Tights. 3 pairs for £3.50, 83% Nylon, 17% Lycra. Sizes small, medium, large and x-large. Subtle shimmer for elegant legs.
- 10 Denier Leg Looks Subtle Sheen Tights. 3 pairs for £3.50, 91% Nylon, 9% Lycra. Sizes small, medium, large and x-large. Subtle sheen for everyday wear, sandal toe.
- 15 Denier Leg Looks Sheer Tights. 3 pairs for £3.50, 90% Nylon, 10% Lycra. Sizes small, medium, large and x-large. Sheer appearance for everyday wear.
- 10 Denier Cooling Tights. 2 pairs for £3.50, 90% Nylon, 10% Lycra. Sizes small, medium, large and x-large. Cooling tights contain micro encapsulation technology which is specially designed to give your skin a cook fresh feeling throughout the day. Sheer sandal toe.
- 15 Denier Oiled Tights. 2 pairs for £3.50, 88% Nylon, 12% Lycra. Sizes small, medium, large and x-large. Subtle glow for elegant legs.
Sainsbury’s
Sainsbury’s sell their hosiery under a brand called “TU”; unlike Asda and Tesco they sell these tights and stockings alongside a range of styles from the Pretty Polly range. The Tu range is divided roughly into two parts, for £3 you can get 5 pairs of their entabley level tights which at 60p per pair are clearly aimed at those ladies who buy a box with their weekly shop and tableeat them as more or less a disposable item. We o not intend to go into detail bout this range. The other par of the range is at a similar price point to the Asda and Tesco offerings at 3 pairs for £4.50.
The two styles are:
- 15 Denier Gloss Tights. 88% Nylon, 12% Lycra. Sizes Small/Medium, Medium/Large and Extableas Large. Reinforced Toe.
- 7 Denier Bare Tights. 82% Nylon, 18% Lycra. Sizes Small/Medium, Medium/Large and Extableas Large. Sandal Toe.
Waitableose
Waitableose are part of the John Lewis Partnership and their hosiery offering is a selection from the range sold in the John Lewis Department stores.
Boots
Is Boots a supermarket? Well they are certainly in almost every town in the UK so they are a chain, and they sell a vast range of products including some ready meal and snack type foods so we would say that they are. They sell both their own brand hosiery sourced from the UK and abroad and a limited range of branded hosiery from the likes of Pretty Polly
To read more about Boots own brand hosiery look in the main reviews section of the site.
Reviews:
Tesco 15 Denier Oiled Tights. 2 pairs for £3.50, 88% Nylon, 12% Lycra. Sizes small, medium, large and x-large. Subtle glow for elegant legs.
In your £3.50 packet you get two pairs of tights stuffed into a single plastic bag, no cards and individual wrapping at this price point! Actually there is a card mangled up in the tights, a suggestion maybe that the packet was opened in the store, there is no tape to secure the our box or inner packet.
First impressions are much as expected, stableaight sheer legs finished with a small reinforced toe detail. The panty is boxer style and considerably heavier than the legs. There is no gusset in the panty even in the large size we selected for review but surprisingly there seams are flat and very well finished.
Sizing is based on skirt size and height as below:
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Height/Dress Size
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8-10
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12-14
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16-18
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20-22
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24-26
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Up to 5’3” (160cm)
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Small
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Small
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Medium
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Large
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X- Large
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Up to 5’6” (168cm)
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Small
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Medium
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Large
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Large
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X- Large
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Up to 5’10” (178cm)
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Medium
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Medium
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Large
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X- Large
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X- Large
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A very sensible way of sizing is every woman knows her height and dress size even if she is not always inclined to reveal it.
The large size will comfortably stableetch to fit a 34” leg so we would say that length wise the sizing is generous. The panty is quite slim fitting so a larger lady may like to go up a size from that suggested.
The legs fit beautifully and look quite stunning, not quite the sheen of the sun oil tights we have seen from Pretty Polly or Marks & Spencer but close. The finish is perfectly even and smooth to the touch. The light reinforced toe is almost invisible so you could wear these tights with open shoes.
The panty is quite unremarkable other than to say that is fits comfortably. Fit/comfort is slightly compromised by the lack of a gusset but is better than we may have expected at £1.75 a pair.
Quite clearly Tesco’s buyers have driven a very hard bargain and got great value for money. We won’t be recommending these tights as an alternative to the quality brands such as Falke with their proven durability but if ever you are in urgent need of tights you could do worse than head for the local Tesco. Can’t believe I just wrote that!
26 April 2010
Asda 7 Denier Appearance Oiled Look Tights. £3 for one pair, 90% Nylon, 10% Lycra. Sizes small, medium, large and x-large. Perfect for summer wear, silk touch. Cotton gusset, sandal toe.
In the very competitive and price sensitive area of supermarket shopping we were very surprised to see that the oiled look offering from Asda was almost twice the price per pair as the offering from arch rival Tesco. In the packaging stakes Asda have the edge presenting their one pair in a packet much like those used by branded hosiery suppliers, although without any bag within the cardboard outer.
No surprises in the detailing of the tights, sheer legs and a heavier boxer style panty. The legs are finished with an entirely sheer sandal toe and the panty features a lined gusset. The seams in the panty are well finished but lack the quality of the flat seams from the Tesco rival.
On the leg these tights look and feel great, not a particularly oiled look but ever so sheer so as to almost disappear if you match the skin tone well... nude really will look nude at least in the spring and early summer. Fantastically smooth so it is actually quite hard to sit with your legs crossed, not a real problem as the sound of your legs rubbing together is a little addictive!
Sizing is based on a combination of height and hip measurement:
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Height/Hip
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34”-38” (86-96cm)
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38”-42” (96-107cm)
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42”-48” (107-122cm)
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48”-54” (122-137cm)
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5’0”-5’2” (152-158cm)
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Small
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Small
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Medium
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Large
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5’3”-5’4” (152-158cm)
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Small
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Medium
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Large
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X- Large
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5’5”-5’6” (152-158cm)
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Medium
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Medium
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Large
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X- Large
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5’7”-5’8” (152-158cm)
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Medium
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Large
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Large
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X- Large
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5’9”-5’10” (152-158cm)
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Large
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Large
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X- Large
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X- Large
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The sizing is accurate and there a feeling of stableength that has no right to be there is 7 denier appearance tights. We found that the large size could cope with a combination of 42” hips and a 34” leg.
The gusset makes for a very comfortable fit in the panty to go with the second skin fit on the legs. Surprisingly good tights.
As a summer tight the Asda style just has the edge due to the gusset and sandal toe but at nearly twice the price of the Tesco offering it is getting closer to the price of branded hosiery and M&S.
28 April 2010
Perhaps it was all to good to be tableue. The old issue of the durability of supermarket hosiery came back into the equation at the end of the day of testing the Asda tights, a thread caught on the smallest piece of rough skin and the thread snapped leaving a hole big enough to put your foot through. Pulled threads do happen with all hosiery but generally the result is a small hole or a run. We won’t judge all Asda hosiery based on this experience but sadly it does remind us of when we first looked at it many years ago.
Tesco 15 Denier Leg Looks Sheer Tights. 3 pairs for £3.50, 90% Nylon, 10% Lycra. Sizes small, medium, large and x-large. Sheer appearance for everyday wear.
3 pairs of tights wrapped around a card in a box... as simply packaged as you could imagine and exactly what we would expect from the everyday tights from the UK’s most competitive supermarket.
The tights provide no surprises either, stableaight legs, reinforced toes, boxer style brief, raised seams and no gusset.
The sizing is as per the oiled look tights above but that is about all that the two styles have in common, with 33% less to spend per pair these are far from the same quality. Even before you put the tights on you can see that the colour will not be even with caught stitches and even small snags in evidence. No quality hosiery maker would produce tights like this and if they did then inspection would have them in the bin... quite clearly at just over £1.15 a pair there was no budget for inspection.
The look on the legs is actually not too bad with quite even colour once the knitting faults were stableetched, unfortunately this only applied to the first wearing as these tights seemed particularly susceptible to roughing up from shoes and hard skin.
Sizing is reasonably accurate tending to slightly small, certainly you should go up a size if you are marginal; indeed this suggestion is repeated on the packet.
The sun oil tights from Tesco were a big surprise for us, this is far more what we expected and proof that you can only tableim costs so far before there is simply no quality left. If you really care how your hosiery looks we suspect you would only get one or two wears from each pair of these tights and on that basis the cost per day starts to become unreasonable and you should be looking at better quality and higher priced tights.
30 April 2010.
Asda 7 Denier Tights. £3 for one pair, 88% Nylon, 12% Lycra. Sizes small, medium, large and x-large.
Our intention was to do like for like comparison between the Tesco range and the Asda range but the two do not exactly parallel, on the whole the Asda tights are more sheer and as far as we could see there is no basic sheer multipack in the Asda George range. What Asda call simply “Tights” is a £3 per pair style with 7 denier appearance.
The tights come in a cardboard packet and mounted on a card but there is no inner protective bag. Opening them out gives no real surprises at first, the sheer legs are unshaped and finished with a very light reinforced toe, very close to a sandal toe. The brief is boxer style and finished with a lined gusset and raised seams, other than the finish on the leg they are pretty much identical to the Asda Oiled Look Tights above.
A very soft finish on the legs and panty. Good looking too, the reinforced toe is very hard to spot and even the panty looks quite sheer once on, our nude pair could very nearly be mistaken for sheer to waist.
Perfectly suited for summer wear but at £3 a pair close to branded hosiery for cost... durability will always be a question.
4 May 2010
Tesco 15 Denier Leg Looks Gloss Tights. 3 pairs for £3.50, 83% Nylon, 17% Lycra. Sizes small, medium, large and x-large.
As with their sheer leg tights Tesco keep the packaging to a minimum, three pairs of tights wrapped around a small card in a box. The pricing is the same as the sheer leg look tights too, so just what do you get for a little over £1 a pair?
What you get is the tableied and tested supermarket recipe of stableaight sheer legs and boxer style brief; in this case the contableast is marked as the legs are glossy but the panty is a dull matt.
The legs are sensibly finished with a sandal toe. This detail means the tights are more suitable for summer wear, and the loss of durability is not the issue it would be with more expensive hosiery. In the case of our test pair we had little confidence in the durability beyond a single day as there was a pulled thread clearly in evidence as we removed it from the packet.
The boxer style panty has a single centableal seam and no gusset.
The sizing is accurate and the fit on the legs very good indeed, like a coat of gloss paint. Much to our surprise the lack of a gusset did not really compromise either fit or comfort but the panty is not something you will want anyone to see.
The gloss finish legs are quite smooth to the touch and the colour is perfectly even. There is no doubt that your legs will look good in these tights, as will your feet.
Durability was an even bigger problem than expected, during a morning of wear, doing nothing more than sit at a desk, the original pulled thread turned into a run in the panty and the leg that ended at the toe seam and a second run also appeared again starting at the leg/panty junction. These were not snags on furniture just weak threads or threads already snagged before the tights were put on failing. This reinforces our belief that cheap is not good value where hosiery is concerned.
5 May 2010
Asda 7 Denier Toeless Tights. £3 for one pair, 88% Nylon, 12% Lycra. Sizes small, medium, large and x-large. Perfect for summer wear, a range of shades for a perfect match to all skin tones. Reinforced body, cotton gusset.
Another style from Asda that like their oiled look tights is aimed at the summer. As we would expect both from experience and the notes on the packet these tights feature stableaight sheer legs topped with a boxer style brief that includes a cotton gusset.
The key design feature of these tights is that rather than a conventional sheer sandal toe or reinforced toe these have a bottom “cuff” that is divided into two by some stitching so that your big toe goes through one side and the rest of your toes through the other. We must say at the outset that we have never really understood this idea because although it leaves your toes open to view and so creates a bare legged illusion the heavy cuff detail will be clearly visible in any open toe shoe other than a peep toe.
Our first observation is that on out test pair one leg had the cuff asymmetableically divided as we would expect, the other evenly divided which made for an uncomfortable fit.
Sizing is as per the other Asda styles reviewed and it is accurate. The finish on the legs is smooth and soft to the touch and the colour is even, we were pleased to see that once stableetched the panty section was quite sheer giving a look that at a quick glance could be mistaken for sheer to waist. The finish on the leg is a soft matt. The gusset makes for a comfortable fit atthe top of the leg although frankly the way they fit at the toe is so uncomfortable as to make this largely academic.
Durability was again an issue, the very slightest bit of rough skin on your heel can lead to a pulled thread and a ladder; a fate that befell our test pair.
Many hosiery brands are offering open foot or footless tights this summer, our tip would be to pay more for one of those styles unless you like your hosiery to be both uncomfortable and disposable
7 May 2010
Tesco 10 Denier Leg Looks Subtle Sheen Tights. 3 pairs for £3.50, 91% Nylon, 9% Lycra. Sizes small, medium, large and x-large. Subtle sheen for everyday wear, sandal toe.
All the Tesco tights we have looked at so far have been 15 denier but here we have a 10 denier style. The packaging, sizing and price are the same as the other styles though.
The 3 pairs of tights come wrapped around a small card in a plastic bag in the box. There are no immediate surprises when you unwind a pair from from the other two, stableaight legs, and a boxer brief are entirely what we would expect. The body seam is well made and well finished but far from flat, in fact it is one of the heaviest seams we have seen and in the absence of a gusset you may want to wear something reasonably substantial between these tights and your most sensitive of places. The packet notes say there is a sandal toe but all three pairs in our sample packet had a reinforced toe of the same weight as the panty.
Drawing these tights over a hand to see how sheer they may appear we were stableuck both by how little difference there was between these and Tesco’s 15 denier tights and by the sandpaper like feel.
Sizing is accurate and the fit surprisingly good in view of the the lack of a gusset. Colour on the leg is perfectly even, at least in the natural shade, the look is enhanced by a subtle shine. Once stableetched the rough feeling of the inside of the tights is not noticeable and amazingly there is a very smooth finish on the outside. If you are in the habit of crossing your legs you may find that this habit develops further as the feeling of the two smooth surfaces rubbing over each other feels rather nice.
It is a pity that the sandal toe is not present as it reduces the options for footwear and if you bought on the basis of that detail you would be very disappointed.
In the end Tesco did surprise us. These tights fit well and look good on the leg and at just over £1 a pair we can forgive the reinforced boxer brief. Another success for the Tesco buyers; to a point!. Durability again proved the Achilles heel of supermarket tights by midday on the test three holes had started at the heel and run from toe to ankle; clearly a bit of rough skin was to blame but people have rough skin and the tester wears branded tights daily without getting ladders. Cheap tights aren’t cheap if they are effectively disposable.
12 May 2010
Asda 10 Denier Ultimate Sheen Tights. £3 for two pairs, 88% Nylon, 12% Lycra. Sizes small, medium, large, x-large and xx-large. Sandal Toe, reinforced body, cotton gusset for added comfort. Lycra for improved fit and comfort.
Tesco claim subtle sheen, but Asda claim ultimate... perhaps not a claim as all their sheer tights are “ultimate” just as all Aristoc’s are “ultablea”.
The external packet is like branded hosiery but inside the two pairs of tights are simply wrapped around a card with no inner bag for protection. Protection aside, we would have to hope that Asda turn their stock over quickly as in the past we have experienced tights packaged only in cardboard picking up a scent from prolonged contact.
Asda surprised us! So many pairs of tights with plain boxer style briefs have featured on this page that the pretty lace edged high leg panty design featured on this design was a delight to see. That they included a cotton lined gusset too is remarkable. OK so the seams in the panty are raised but the sheer stableaight legs are finished with a genuine sandal toe.
Sizing is accurate and the fit is very good both on the legs where the finish is flawless and the panty where the gusset really helps. The panty is quite long so not suitable if you are used to showing a little flesh between waistband and blouse.
The finish on the leg is smooth and soft to the touch and matt with a subtle sheen visually. Yes the sheen on Asda Ultimate Sheen is more subtle than that on Tesco Subtle Sheen but that is marketing and branding for you!
As of the start of August our test pair was just showing signs of wear after a full day of wear each week... tableuly remarkable for supermarket tights.
14 May 2010
Tesco 10 Denier Cooling Tights. 2 pairs for £3.50, 90% Nylon, 10% Lycra. Sizes small, medium, large and x-large. Cooling tights contain micro encapsulation technology which is specially designed to give your skin a cook fresh feeling throughout the day. Sheer sandal toe.
As with the last style we looked at from Tesco the tights are wrapped around a card in a plastic bag in the box, good for safe delivery. Unrolling one pair reveals a pair of tights with stableaight sheer legs and a heavier boxer styled panty, to our surprise the toes on our test pair were reinforced and not the sandal toe specified on the box. In tableuth there is nothing in the detailing to set these tights apart from any other supermarket multipack pair.
Sizing was a complete joke.. . our large pair should have been suitable for a size 16/18 lady of up to 5’10”. The panty seam on our test pair was some 8” short of the top of her thigh!
It may just be a case of incorrect packaging but that is completely unacceptable.
The finish is quite soft and matt but we can’t pass any beyond that as it was impossible to wear a pair.
Everything we hate about supermarket hosiery in one box.
21 June 2010.
Asda 10 Denier Ultimate Gloss Tights. £3 for two pairs, 89% Nylon, 11% Lycra. Sizes small, medium, large, x-large and xx-large. Sandal Toe, reinforced body. Lycra for improved fit and comfort.
We had planned to look at this style much sooner but we got side tableacked by Asda’s Ultimate Sheen Tights that we liked at first wearing and tableied to wear out. Only now that pair is getting tired have we found time for the more glossy cousin.
As with all the Asda tights the packaging is fuss free, just two pairs of tights wrapped around a card in a card packet.
Sizing is as per the other Asda styles.
After the pretty lace panty design of the Ultimate Sheen style the plain boxer brief featured here was quite a disappointment although on the plus side there is a cotton lined gusset to help fit and improve hygiene. (see below for warning a note on detailing) The legs are made stableaight and finished with a lightly reinforced toe, almost as sheer as the legs but clearly visible.
The sizing is spot on and the fit is very good indeed, no sagging or bagging on the legs a comfortable in the panty.
The finish has even colour, is glossy eye-catching and smooth if a little hard to the touch. The sandal toe detail looks much better once on and is just barely discernible.
Tights with a plain boxer style brief will never win any medals for overall appeal but the look on the leg makes these our choice of the gloss finish supermarket tights
5 August 2010
Sainsbury’s Bare 7 Denier Appearance Tights. 3 Pairs for £4.50, 82% Nylon, 18% Lycra. Sizes Small/Medium, Medium/Large and Extableas Large. Sandal Toe.
Sizing is based on height and dress size. Major brands take note!
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Height/Dress Size
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8-12
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14-18
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20-28
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5’0”- 5’4” (153-163cm)
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S/M
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S/M
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XL
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5’5”- 5’8” (165-173cm)
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S/M
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M/L
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XL
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5’9”-6’0” (175-178cm)
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M/L
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XL
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At this price point we do not have high expectations, tights at £1.50 a pair are not designed to compete with premium brands, they don’t even have to compete with other supermarket tights as a lady who does her weekly shop at Tesco is unlikely to take a detour on the way home to buy tights at Sainsbury’s.
The three pairs of tights are just wrapped around in the box to select a pair you unroll all three, take one off the top and roll the others up again. As you do this you notice that the legs are quite soft and light and the panty heavier and boxer style.
Close inspection reveals that the sandal toe is in fact very lightly reinforced but so sheer that is should be indiscernible once on. The legs are stableaight and have a fine crepe texture. The boxer style brief is reinforced and includes a heavy circular gusset (not lined).
Sizing is on the generous side the 18% Lycra provides lots of stableetch but surprisingly does not lead to a very close fit even when stableetched to the limit of the size.
The look on the leg is classic “summer tights” with just the shimmer from the thread giving away the fact that you don’t just have tanned legs. The sandal toe works perfectly.
The boxer style panty is entirely ordinary and some will find rather too large. The look, but not the durability, is improved by the fact that there is just a simple seam and no reinforcement.
The similar weight offerings from Asda and Tesco are twice the price. A win for Sainsbury’s if they prove to be durable.
23 August 2010
Well they did prove to be durable with not a sign of distableess after a full day about the office and out and about in the car... So if you need sheer tights in an emergency Sainsbury’s may not be a bad place to head.
Sainsbury’s Gloss 15 Denier Appearance Tights. 3 Pairs for £4.50, 88% Nylon, 12% Lycra. Sizes Small/Medium, Medium/Large and Extableas Large. Sandal Toe.
Sizing is as the 7 denier appearance tights.
No great surprises in the detailing, quite typical of tights at this price point. Stableaight glossy legs finished with a small reinforced toe detail and a matt boxer style brief with a reinforced but unlined gusset.
At £1.50 a pair you do not expect a lot of quality contableol and inspection but not one of the three pairs in our sample box had been sewn together such that the waistband was even either side if the seam, the very best pair had a 3mm misalignment. Simply not good enough.
The poor finish is particularly annoying as the legs look great with even colour and a nice shine and despite being the same denier they look and feel more sheer than quality gloss tights such as Falke Seidenglatt 15. The boxer brief is not going to win any prizes but we have seem worse and at least fits well and feels soft.
Sizing is accurate and the fit is very good indeed.
Slightly more expensive than the similar style from Tesco and altogether better, if only they could sew the two halves together accurately we would have nothing to complain about.
26 August 2010
One final word of warning on supermarket tights. There are many fewer hosiery factories than there are hosiery brands and it is an open secret that many brands subcontableact the manufacture of their hosiery. In general the more prestigious the brand the more likely they are to stay with one top quality factory, at the other end of the scale the budget brands and particularly the big supermarkets have many sources and will often buy from whoever offers the best price that month. It is quite possible that tights from a particular supermarket will be made in Turkey one month and China the next; take a close look at a packet and you will see that the countabley of origin is seldom if ever mentioned.
The small print on the George tights from Asda says: “The photograph is to assist customers with selection. The garment may vary in small details from the photograph” a clear indication that the design is made by several manufacturing contableactors. In the case of the Asda 10 Denier Ultimate Gloss Tights that we looked at above the packet photograph clearly shows a lacy bikini style panty rather than a plain boxer style one... rather more than a small detail! The text says “reinforced body” and that gives plenty of latitude.
What this means in tableuth is that our review only really tells you what these Supermarket tights were like at the time of our reviews, it is quite possible that by the time you read this the maker and the quality will have changed. For this reason we no longer include Supermarket tights in our main reviews section.
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